New Delhi: Nepal is grappling with its worst outbreak of Hindu-Muslim communal violence in years after clashes that began during a religious procession spread across the Madhes, the country’s southern plains bordering India, leaving at least three people dead, dozens injured and prompting curfews, army deployment and appeals for calm.
The violence, which began in the Dewanganj rural municipality in Sunsari district on July 26, has spread to several districts across the Madhes, a region where communities on both sides of the Nepal-India border share close linguistic, cultural and family ties.
While localised communal tensions are not new, researchers and security officials say the scale and rapid spread of the latest unrest mark a significant escalation.
A 2024 report by the Center for the Study of Organised Hate similarly said organisations such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal had expanded their presence in Nepal’s Terai districts.
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